rdb7 said:
I haven't tried it yet and it seems like it'd be very awkward... what to say? how often will they be like you're riduculous get off my property
From what I've heard, that doesn't happen that often... but I guess it all depends on you... read more below.
rdb7 said:
do you just ring the doorbell and say, "Hi I'm 'name'.. would it be ok it if Metal Detected your property?"
Definitely not. Asking permission to dig up someone's yard is like a fine art. Really if you think about it, this is social engineering at it's best. You are not trying to manipulate someone, but what you have to do is in a few short sentences convey who you are, what your credibility is and what you want. The last thing this stranger has on their mind when they answer the door is that someone wants to dig up their yard. That should be the last thought in their head when you are asking permission, basically after they know who you are and basically start to like you.
I don't have a script per say, because I haven't done a lot of these myself yet... but basically it makes sense to me. I'm hoping some others can chime in with their thoughts.
So you knock or ring the bell... when they answer you might say something like, "Hi my name is John Smith and I live in such and such neighborhood and I do metal detecting with the Your County Historical Blah Blah Association. I'm looking for some older properties with history that I might be able to try and recover old coins and relics of our past." (If you made up some cards with your name, number, address and some kind of an organization name - now would be a good time to give it to them)
At this point you might already get a "yeah go ahead" from them if they know what metal detecting is. If they are staring at you waiting for a question still you might say, "Would it be alright if I looked around your front yard today for an hour or two with my metal detector?" or you could broaded it and say property with no time limit, but still "today" depending on how much they are at ease with you. Hopefully now you'll get the yeah go ahead.
If they start asking about digging holes or whatever, you can tell them, "If I find anything with my metal detector that looks interesting I just dig a small hole, recover the object and put the ground back the way I found it with no messes." (hopefully you can do this... and use a small hand digger... later you might be able to bring a shovel if they like your handywork) If you started a website you can direct them to the area of your site that explains with pictures how you recover an object... that is if they are still worried. Hopefully this site link is on your card.
I would only detect for an hour or so and report back to the owner after you're done if they were hesitant, or come back another time and show them some of the stuff you've found. Maybe tell them some stories of other things you've found if they are interested. You can give them one of your finds as a token of appreciation and they might just freak out at your kindness. Some people are really amazed by things like Buffalo nickels and Indian Head pennies. You could even buy some of these or get some wheaties cheap and give them one of those if you only found one or two items on their property and can't really spare one of your finds. Remember... there is MORE stuff on that property that you haven't even gotten a chance to look at yet, you want to keep the owner happy. They may start to tell you all about other sites you can go to and give you names and numbers. Make sure to carry a pen and paper or have a way to record the information down. If you ask for a revisit, make sure you get their number and tell them that you will call first before coming over.
There are plenty more ways to get permission... I've just taken a rough stab at what to do by knocking on doors. For instance, when calling say a Realtor, or anyone for that matter, never tell them you are asking to metal detect their property in a voice mail... you have to develop that one on one friendly conversation before you can ask something like that... they may have immediate questions and concerns that you'll need to answer quickly instead of letting their mind run wild about this strange person that wants to come dig up their yard. And you don't even know who is going to get that message. Just tell them your name and number and ask them to politely call you back.
I hope more people chime in on this conversation, because this is something I want to develop for myself more and more this year.
Brett
